Background and aim: The GOLD 2023 report identifies different causes (etiotypes) of COPD. Their prevalence in individuals in the general population with persistent airflow obstruction (PAO) is unknown. We aimed to describe it in different age bins.
Methods: We included 14,389 participants with valid post-bronchodilation spirometry from the general population cohort of the Austrian LEAD Study (NCT01727518). PAO was defined as FEV1/FVC<LLN GLI. No PAO was defined as LLN?FEV1/FVC?ULN.
Results:
| Overall | 6-25 yrs. | 25-50 yrs. | >50 yrs. | |||||
| N = 14389 | N= 4755 | N= 5032 | N= 4602 | |||||
| PAO | No PAO | PAO | No PAO | PAO | No PAO | PAO | No PAO | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Prevalence | 4.6 | - | 3.1 | - | 4.4 | - | 6.4 | - |
| Females | 43.8 | 53.7 | 53.4 | 54.3 | 37.1 | 52.6 | 44.1 | 54.3 |
| Symptoms+ | 41.0 | 16.7 | 11.5 | 9.3 | 37.1 | 16.6 | 58.6 | 24.2 |
| A1ATD | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
| Prematurity* | 17.9 | 12.7 | 16.1 | 12.5 | 21.6 | 13.5 | 16.5 | 11.9 |
| MSDP | 5.1 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Smoking ever | 64.0 | 43.7 | 19.6 | 15.5 | 70.6 | 56.3 | 81.4 | 57.9 |
| Pneumonia ever | 30.7 | 18.6 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 29.6 | 19.7 | 40.4 | 24.4 |
| Asthma | 23.8 | 7.9 | 12.2 | 6.3 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 24.1 | 7.3 |
|
+: wheezing, coughing, phlegm and/or dyspnea during the last 12 months; prematurity: premature birth before 32 weeks of gestation and/or birth weight < 2.5kg; A1ATD: positive alpha-1-anti-trypsin deficiency screening; MSDP: maternal smoking during pregnancy |
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Conclusion: The prevalence of PAO in the general population is higher in older individuals, and except in early life, is more prevalent in males. It is highly symptomatic and some associated etiotypes vary by age bins.